Let it all Art

From Belgium: an initiative to transform screams and shouts into art.  As explained on the website:

With this initiative, we want to encourage all Belgians to free themselves from all their negative feelings.

Simply scream away the past year - without holding back - and discover how your emotions will turn themselves into a positive and personal work of art. One that symbolizes the resilience we have all shown.

Feel free to scream alone or with friends, family or colleagues… The result of all these decibels will be combined into one collective artwork, painted on a big wall. This wall will remind us of the perseverance we’ve shown as a country. Let it be a symbol of our collective strength: by turning something negative into something positive!

Rubicon (2010)

SERIES REVIEW

“Rubicon” offers storytelling that is methodical and measured. It does an outstanding job of conveying the personal and psychological costs of working in the American intelligence trenches during the war on terror.

-New York Times

The influence of the paranoia thrillers of the 70s (especially Three Days of the Condor) is unmistakable.  But this series is more of a drama, with an identity of its own.  It centres on a team of socially-challenged but brilliant analysts, working for a private intelligence agency.  Over the course of 10 hours, we are immersed into their unglamorous, low-tech world.  It’s a murky world where, apart from intelligence analysis, it pays to be wary of the savvier people around you, and take careful note of every spoken word and gesture.

The series emphasises sober storytelling over sensationalism.  Add to that, a deliberate pacing with very little action means that enjoying it calls for a specific taste, and loads of patience.  For those who have that, the end result, while not perfect, will likely be very satisfying.  There are some questionable sub-plots, and there is a bit of needlessly sloppy plotting and writing.  Nonetheless, if you like your spy dramas to be cerebral, there is a lot to savour. 

A word about the ending.  While it ties up most of the loose ends, there are some who found it underwhelming.  Personally, I thought it was consciously unflashy, and was in line with the overall tone of the series. 

Here’s a link to a clip.

Unbox Yourself

A surreal new commercial from Vauxhall that presents a bizarre picture of what it means to be “pigeonholed”.

Link to video

KFC’s search for a slogan

Thanks to the pandemic, last year, KFC was forced to temporarily suspend its ‘finger lickin’ good’ slogan. Last week, KFC UK and Ireland decided to use its absence to engage with customers in a fun way.  So it was that it put out this tweet:

It led to hundreds of responses of diverse merit, that included some from well-known brands, willing to offer their own slogans.  Here’s a particularly notable exchange with laundry detergent brand, Persil.

Only keep the best of France

A new campaign for a French chocolate brand takes a remarkably critical look at the country itself.  While the packaging of the chocolate carries picture-perfect artistic impressions most worth remembering, the print and web campaign also portrays the unflattering stuff that didn’t make it to the packaging.

Protesting with a Pint of Milk

Extracts from a bewildering speech by a British MP in the House of Commons:

In the remaining days of this lockdown I am going to allow myself an act of defiance, my own protest that others may join me in.  I am going to protest about the price of milk.  Now I’m not sure whether I think the price is too high, or the price is too low, I shall come to that decision later.  But for the next few days I am going to walk around London with a pint of milk on my person, because that pint will represent my protest.

It will be of symbolic importance to me and at the end of the day, it will be warm, it will have separated. And I can choose whether to drink or pour it away because it will be robbed of its refreshing elegance by the time it’s been in my pocket for 12 hours. And if I pour it away, that might cause people some concern but it doesn’t matter, because it’s my pint of milk, and it’s my protest.

This will pass, my protest will pass, the pandemic will pass. And in years to come, I will be sitting at my kitchen table, perhaps with my wife, and hopefully my children will still want to see me, and I will break away from our excited conversation about the day because I will spot that pint of milk on the table. And that pint shall remind me that the act of protest is a freedom. The freedom, not a right, and unless you cherish freedoms every day, unless you fight for freedoms, every day they end up being taken away from you.

Here’s a link to a video of the complete 4 minute speech.

Heartbeat

A visually arresting campaign from Ford Europe that compares its new vehicle tracking and maintenance system to the way blood circulation keeps the heart beating.

Link to video

‘Crappy’ Sugary Drinks PSA

No matter what you might think of its message, this video is worth checking out for the way in which it conveys that message.

Sex Never Gets Old

A bold new campaign that challenges perceptions of diminished intimacy among seniors.

In case you don’t know when to stop

From Brazil: it’s one of the strangest ways that I can remember seeing a car’s safety feature being advertised.  Frankly, I couldn’t believe that this set of ads was for real- but it appears to be. 

Kill Germs Beautifully

That’s pretty much the pitch that perfumed disinfectant brand, Zoflora, has been making these past several months.  Its latest ad uses rich, fantastical imagery to convey what exactly that might look like.  Notably, the floral explosions in the video are practical effects, and not CGI.

Alternative link

Promoting Furniture with a Ping Pong Ball

A 1 minute video that takes a strikingly creative and unconventional approach to showcase a range of furniture.  The idea, we’re told, was to “focus attention on the furniture’s timeless, iconic forms and functional qualities”. According to the filmmaker, the video was shot over two weeks and involved 2000+ takes.

Alternative link

Transform Your Worries Into Lullabies

From Australia: a one-of-a-kind campaign from wellness drinks brand, No Ugly.  Coinciding with World Sleep Day, and intended to promote its ‘sleep’ tonic, the company is offering to “sing you to sleep with what’s keeping you awake”.  To show how that might sound, it has put out a series of side-splitting spots in which professional and personal worries are transformed into sweet, soothing lullabies.

Salmon Chaos

Extracts from an AFP report:

A top Taiwanese official issued a plea on Thursday for people to stop changing their name to “salmon” after dozens made the unusual move to take advantage of a restaurant promotion.

In a phenomenon that has been dubbed “Salmon Chaos” by local media, around 150 mostly young people flocked to government offices in recent days to officially register a change in their name.

The cause of this sudden enthusiasm was a chain of sushi restaurants.

Under the two day promotion which ended Thursday, any customer whose ID card contained “Gui Yu” — the Chinese characters for salmon — would be entitled to an all-you-can-eat sushi meal along with five friends.

Taiwan allows people to officially change their name up to three times.

Local media ran interviews with people who took advantage of the promotion.

“I just changed my name this morning to add the characters ‘Bao Cheng Gui Yu’ and we already ate more than Tw$7,000 (US$235),” a college student surnamed Ma told TVBS news channel in southern Kaohsiung city.

Roughly translated, Ma’s new moniker means: “Explosive Good Looking Salmon”.

Other salmon-themed names reported in local media included “Salmon Prince,” “Meteor Salmon King” and “Salmon Fried Rice”

The United Daily News reported that one resident decided to add a record 36 new characters to his name, most of them seafood themed, including the characters for “abalone”, “crab” and “lobster”.

The Motorbike of Cars

From Australia: this new advert for Suzuki is one of the oddest car commercials that I have seen in recent memory.

Chief Broke Officer

From India: a fintech startup is inviting applications for early access to its app via this ad:

RIP Yaphet Kotto

Clip from Live and Let Die

Clip from Alien

From The Guardian: A Life in Pictures

Right Up Our Alley

You may have already seen the single-shot drone footage of a Minnesota bowling alley that has gone viral.  Here’s a version of that, put together by The Guardian, which appends a brief explanation from the filmmakers of how they went about it.  If you’d like a bit more detail on the planning that went into it, check out this 4 minute video from a local news channel.

In the wake of that, another piece of work from the same filmmakers, from a month ago, has also been attracting some attention.  Here’s a link.

Window Service

In its latest campaign for its zero-alcohol lager in the UK, Heineken is offering lucky winners the chance to be served through their home windows- from a special cherry picker bar.

Link to video

Soldiers Without Guns (2019)

DOCUMENTARY REVIEW

In 1997, New Zealand led a four-nation peacekeeping force that would be instrumental in bringing to an end the Bougainville Civil War in Papua New Guinea- probably the most violent and deadly conflict in the Pacific since the Second World War.  The conflict had been going on for 10 years and there had been more than a dozen failed attempts to broker peace.  One of the remarkable things about this initiative was that the peacekeeping force was unarmed. How this operation came about is the story at the heart of this documentary.

There are two things that particularly stood out for me.  The first is the clarity with which it presents its narrative, notably the history and the nature of this complex conflict. The second is the wealth of footage that has been compiled.  I found it astonishing in itself that such footage existed- given the time and place, and the nature of what is captured.

Here’s a link to the documentary.

British Wind

A minister in the UK government has been making news for his assertion that proposed investments in renewable energy will power homes with “British wind”. 

A short selection of some of the responses on Twitter, to his statement:

Can't the British wind turbines be adapted to accept continental wind? Maybe two blades instead of three?

— Keith Burge (@carryonkeith) March 11, 2021

"British wind, yes. Good, strong, honest, British wind. Not this limp, vapid Continental wind smelling of Gauloises and sauerkraut but proper old red white and blue wind. The wind that filled the sails of Drake's ships. The wind that flowed over the wings of Spitfires."

— Davey Six-Toes (@HutchinsonDave) March 11, 2021

Idiot Paul Scully has taken Brexit irrationality to new depths, boasting that offshore wind farms will be powered by British wind. Gale force flatulence, straight from a Brexit arse.

— Ian collins (@Iancoll94354676) March 11, 2021

Firefighters Don't Like Fire Movies

From New Zealand: a haunting PSA from the fire and emergency service- part of an ongoing campaign to dispel myths about what a housefire is really like.

Link to video

Ranger Sammy

From Australia: this new commercial for NRMA insurance is a superb follow-up to its 2019 spot.

Our Friends in the North (1996)

SERIES REVIEW

It is exactly 25 years since the final episode of this 10 hour British series first aired.  Over the years, it has come to be regarded as one of the finest television dramas ever made.  Its leads- then unknown or little-known-  have gone on to great glory and commercial success- probably none more than Daniel Craig.

It is a stellar piece of drama with substantive writing, credible characters, and top-notch performances.  It tells the story of four friends, setting off on their individual and shared life journeys in 1964 at the age of 20, and where and how they end up 31 years later.   It is plotted against the backdrop of the political, social, and economic changes across Britain over that time.   It weaves into the narrative, issues such as council housing and police corruption, and events such as the miners’ strike.  I would submit that, to truly appreciate this series, it would help to be familiar with all of that.  Or at least have an open mind. 

Here’s a link to a clip.

For Celebrities Only

Are you a celebrity?  If not, skip this ad.

That’s how a new spot from Miami-based canned cocktail brand, F!ve Drinks, starts off, as it brazenly entices the rich and famous to come and buy its company.  It’s part of a cheeky campaign to join the growing list of celebrity-owned liquor brands- complete with not-so-subtle references to the most visible A-lister in that space- Ryan Reynolds.

Link to video

Raccoon Headline

Some years ago, The Guardian ran a piece that looked at instances of bizarre, eye-catching headlines about animals, in local newspapers across the UK.  “‘Racist’ swans attack students”.  “Budgie’s death now being treated as suspicious”.  It noted how the headlines were mostly exaggerated. 

Well, I was reminded of that when I saw this headline on Sunday on The Guardian’s own website:

Toronto lockdown brings humans and raccoons together – neither's happy

It turned out to be a piece about possible reasons for a sharp increase in reports of people bitten and/or scratched by raccoons in Toronto in the past year.

Mask Massacre

Sick and tired of wearing a mask?  A new campaign from Germany invites you to fantasise about “violence against masks”, with a reminder that it would be best to keep wearing them, until the pandemic is over. 

Link to campaign video

The Case for Cannabis Consumption

A provocative campaign that pushes the limits of fair comparison in highlighting the legality of smoking weed across American states.

A Ballet filmed by Drones

Brazil’s Guaíra Ballet Theatre kicked off its 2021 season with a 4 minute video of its dancers performing- in their individual apartments- to Shostakovich’s Waltz No. 2.  The choreography is immaculate and the editing is impeccable but what is most amazing is the way that the dancers have been filmed up close by drones that are piloted with astonishing control. 

Link to video

Lay’s Crispy Subtitles

It’s a Chrome extension that automatically activates subtitles on YouTube videos when it detects the crunchy sound of crisps/ chips being munched.  As you may have guessed, the idea is to help avid snackers crunch and munch all they want while watching those videos, without having to adjust the volume.

Link to explainer video

Bedtime Storybook to allay Pandemic Fears

It’s pitched as a book to bring hope and optimism to children struggling with fears around the pandemic.  In the words of the authors:

We – as adults – are so stressed out about home working and home-schooling and everything else right now that we forget how stressful this situation is to our kids, how much this weighs on their minds. So we wanted to create a safe space for the children – a place where there’s no pandemic that they can go to in their dreams.

Link to buy the book

 

Jeep- Earth Odyssey

A brilliant new commercial, succinctly summed up here:

Jeep tours the world in 60 seconds, sampling nature's most, uh, majestic voices to celebrate the 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe. In a callback to the cinematic masterpiece "2001: A Space Odyssey," creatures great and small from all corners of the globe serenade the "electrified" Wrangler with the opening notes of Richard Strauss' epic "Also sprach Zarathustra" as it travels on its very own "2021 Earth Odyssey." When the Wrangler 4xe finally pauses its journey to refuel, Jeep makes it clear how highly it regards its new hybrid SUV crossover with unsubtle visual shorthand -- the charging station looks suspiciously like a certain progress-heralding monolith from the iconic film.

Alternative link

Do Drugs, Win Free Sunset View Prison Cell

From India: the police in the state of Goa have put out this ad in a local newspaper:

Škoda- Epic Option

A gloriously overdramatic commercial that projects door-dinging as a life-threatening risk… unless, of course, you have a Škoda.  Here’s a link.

Bad Passwords

A print and outdoor campaign from the Swedish Theft Prevention Association is highlighting the list of commonly used online passwords in the country, and how weak they are.  Perhaps with a view to making its point forcefully, it has a slight emphasis on the ones that are also expletives.

Click to enlarge

Animating the Dead

As pitched by genealogy website, MyHeritage:

Do you sometimes wonder how your ancestors moved, smiled and looked in real life? You can now see your ancestors from generations past like never before!

We’re happy to introduce Deep Nostalgia™, a groundbreaking new photo feature on MyHeritage that allows you to animate the faces of your loved ones in still photos. This new addition to our suite of photo tools produces a realistic depiction of how a person from an old photo could have moved and looked if they were captured on video.

Link to animated photos of some well-known people:

  Marie Curie
  Charles Dickens

Underwear Mask

From South Africa: a viral video of a shopper at a supermarket who, when asked by a store employee to put on a mask (as required under current rules), took off her underwear and pulled it over her face.  Notably, while the employee was deciding what to make of that, another shopper can be heard saying this:

It is a mask.  And, quite frankly, I think that the bacteria on your knickers is less than on a mask.